- Credibility:
O’HARE — A Chicago Fire Department lieutenant who was hurt battling a Far Northwest Side house fire has died, officials announced Tuesday.
Lt. Kevin Ward, 59, died at Loyola University Medical Center, Fire Department officials said in a tweet. It is unclear when he died.
Ward was responding to a fire Aug. 11th in the 8300 block of West Balmoral Avenue when a “mayday” call was made, signaling firefighters had been injured or trapped while battling the blaze, officials said.
Ward and two other firefighters were injured, and Ward was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the department. The two other firefighters have been treated and released, officials said.
On Aug. 13, officials tweeted that Ward was making “steady progress” but remained in serious condition.
Ward served the Chicago Fire Department for 27 years, having joined in 1996.
Officials confirmed Ward’s family and friends were with him when he died.
“On behalf of the City of Chicago, I offer my sincerest condolences on the passing of Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin Ward,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “I pray for the peace of his family, friends and loved ones during this most difficult time. Let us keep Truck #9 and all our dedicated first responders in our hearts as we honor Lt. Ward’s life and memory.”
As is tradition for fallen first responders, fellow firefighters, friends and family escorted Ward’s body from the hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in a procession Tuesday afternoon.
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